I have been extremely fortunate in
my life to have traveled the world rather extensively. I have spent time in some 20 countries,
oftentimes for more than just a few weeks.
I love observing and experiencing different cultures and customs, seeing
different architecture and geographies, eating different foods, encountering
different religions, and hearing and talking with people from a different
background than my own.
My time traveling, living, and
working in other countries remain some of the most satisfying in my life. It's not always easy, but it's usually most
interesting. There is not a single
country that I regret visiting, and few that I would not want to visit again.
When I finally "settled"
into Tucson son, Arizona, with a wife, a home, and kids, I went through a bit
of an identity crisis. I would say that
this contributed, at least in part, to my divorce. Eventually,I realized that this new phase of
life was in fact another part of my journey.
Parenting was a new frontier to experience. It came with its own perspectives, it's own
language, its own strange customs, and even its own foods. To look through the eyes of my children, the
whole world was magical, new, and wonderful again.
I held this notion as I grew along
with my kids, and I always encouraged them to experience their lives and their
world to the fullest. Now, I'm in
another stage of the journey. I am
spending the longest period of time "outside" the United States in a
strange land called the Department of Corrections, or DOC. It's truly unusual and not one of the
favorite places I've been. Not only
would I not want to visit again, but I think I'd rather not have even visited once. But here is where I am, so I will continue to
try to learn from the strange culture that I find myself in.
The country is very small, with
little in the way of flora and fauna, and chain link and razor wire protect its
borders. It's very hard to get a visa to
leave this country.
There are a variety of languages
spoken here. Spanish and spanglish are
very common and there are several dialects of English that are hard, but not
impossible to understand, among these are "homey",
"nigggah" and "Gangsta".
People in this country speak unusually loud and like to insert expletives
into their conversation for no reason at all.
The national costume is
orange. They even wear orange hats and
shorts as well as orange jackets. A few
of the resident wear uniforms, but they have travel visas and do not have to
stay in DOC. All of the residents are
male.
The food is a rather bland and
lacking in freshness and creativity. It
seems that no fruit or vegetables are grown or even imported into this
land. Many people crowd into a small
amount of space and do not have refrigerators, or stoves, or other common
appliances. They have great skills in
combining a limited number of resources into microwavable meals.
The society is very much a caste
system, based on racial heritage, physical size and strength, age, and ability
to procure resources. The "heads" of the villages do not get their
position through elections, they seem to be appointed. They are responsible for the behavior and
harmony of their own Clan members. They
also try to maintain peace between clans by talking to other Clan and other
village heads. It is not the custom to
resolve differences directly with members of different clans. It is acceptable to resolve differences with
members of your own Clan. It is also the
strange custom to belittle your Clan members and to suggest a wide variety of
sexual acts that they should participate in with yourself. with them, or any
number of other people, including the woman who gave birth to you.
The punishment for transgressions
against clan rule is generally a punch in the head, administered by the clan
heads. It is reserved for more extreme
situations like disrespect, inability to pay one's debts, and unacceptable
behavior.
The country utilizes a barter
economy. There is trading, gambling, and
games of chance where the entry fee is a soup, an envelope, a pouch of coffee
or the like. The Super Bowl pool was the
equivalency of a dollar in merchandise, but not "fish, toiletries, or
other lame goods."
A very strange custom is the "lighter
box shuffle." There are no lighters or matches in this land, but there are
electric boxes that can light your cigarette.
There is a strange ritual involved with the lighting of one's
cigarette. People will walk farther to
get to a person for a "jumpstart" than they will to the box
itself. This is understandable if the
box is not working, but it seems to be the preferred way of doing things. Also, when one is standing at the box with a
lit smoke, it seems insulting to use the box rather than to get a light from
them. And some do not want you to
actually touch or take their smokes, and others expect you to do so. Again, I'm still unsure of the proper protocol
even after nearly two years in this country.
Other strange rituals involve
removing your clothes on a regular basis for inspections. In fact, the "homes" are routinely
searched for contraband. At times the
residents must wait in the day room in their boxer shorts while this
happens. (There are no briefs in DOC.)
Sometimes dogs are present for the searches, and they are none too friendly.
But the residents of DOC are an
interesting lot, with interesting stories and very diverse backgrounds. They have as much to teach me as the citizens
of other countries I've visited. Many have elaborate body art.
The DOC residents (called felons,
inmates, sex offenders, or prisoners) tend to be rather spiritual, and many
actually carry around bibles and speak of Jesus and the word of god. Many other religions are practiced and
represented as well. Saturday mornings
bring the sound of drums and the smell of burning wood for the "Chief
Clan" sweat lodge.
Friday nights, you can hear the
sound of some pagan chant and smell burning sage. Thursday evenings in "the great
hall" there's a cacophony of chants, spells, hums, and other sounds as it's
the "multi-faith" gathering.
There is much waiting around and
standing in lines in DOC and the standard of living is very low. A fulltime, semi-skilled worker will make
around $14.00 a week.
It's not a country I would choose
to visit, but as I am here for a while I will continue to learn from the
strange and unique culture that I find myself in. Happy travels to all.
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